The Lady of Lyons
Encyclopedia
The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride, commonly known as The Lady of Lyons, is a five act romantic melodrama
written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
. It formed the basis for the opera Leonora
by William Henry Fry
, the first grand opera written in America.
's Park Theatre, with a cast including Mrs. Richardson as Pauline, Edwin Forrest
as Melnotte, Charlotte Cushman as the Widow Melnotte, and Peter Richings as Beauséant. Its London premiere followed in 1841
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
. It formed the basis for the opera Leonora
Leonora (opera)
Leonora, ossia L’amore coniugale is an opera in two acts by the Italian composer Ferdinando Paer. The libretto, by Giovanni Schmidt, is based on Léonore ou L’Amour conjugal by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, which was also the source of Beethoven's Fidelio...
by William Henry Fry
William Henry Fry
For the woodcarver and gilder, see William H. Fry.William Henry Fry was a pioneering American composer, music critic, and journalist. Fry was the first person born in the United States to write for a large symphony orchestra, and the first to compose a publicly performed opera...
, the first grand opera written in America.
Plot
Its central character is Pauline Deschapelles, her jilted suitor the Marquis Beauséant and Claude Melnotte, the son of Pauline's gardener. Beauséant tricks Pauline into marrying Melnotte, who is in love with her. Beauséant persuades Melnotte to disguise himself as a foreign prince but when Melnotte takes Pauline to his widowed mother's home after the marriage, she learns the truth and the marriage is annulled. In remorse Melnotte enlists in the army and in his absence Beauséant persuades Pauline to marry him instead to save her father, who is bankrupt. Melnotte returns as a hero, however, and Pauline realises she is truly in love with Melnotte after all.Production history
Its first production was in America in 1838 at the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Park Theatre, with a cast including Mrs. Richardson as Pauline, Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
as Melnotte, Charlotte Cushman as the Widow Melnotte, and Peter Richings as Beauséant. Its London premiere followed in 1841